Kansans losing insurance under Affordable Care Act

CBS News has confirmed millions nationwide will be losing their current insurance coverage. That's because it doesn't meet the new minimum requirements under the Affordable Care Act. There could be thousands of Kansans in that total.

The letters started going out last month, telling Kansans their insurance policies will be discontinued at the end of the year.

"I'm self-employed," said Carolyn Perry. She runs a day care out of her home. "So I need the coverage cause anything can happen at any given time."

She's among those the Affordable Care Act was meant to help.

"But the premium that I'm paying now is twice as much as what it was when I first started paying it," she said. Perry buys her own health insurance. So far, she's keeping it.

Joseph Ashby, a conservative radio commentator in Derby, also buys his own health insurance. But last month he got a letter from Blue Cross, Blue Shield telling him the insurance he buys would no longer be available after the end of the year because it doesn't meet the new minimums set up under the new law.

"Am I going to go get a new job because the government said my health plan is illegal?" asked Ashby.

There are approximately 2.8 million people in the state of Kansas. About 5.5% of those buy their own insurance, or 140 to 160,000 people. Even the Insurance Commissioner's office isn't sure how many of those will lose their current policies.

"I do not have numbers of how many Kansans have been affected by that," said Linda Sheppard. "But, you know, obviously at some point it became a business decision for the companies that made that choice."

The White House said it's not Obamacare taking away these individual care plans, it's the insurance companies.

Meanwhile, the Ashbys are still looking for new coverage.

"I guess we'll still figure out how to make it work. But it's going to be thousands and thousands of dollars more," he said.

So far the closest comparable policy Joseph Ashby says he and his wife have found would raise their deductible from $1000 to $6350.

According to CBS News, industry experts say about half of the people losing their insurance this way will pay more, half will pay less due to taxpayer subsidies.

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